Breakdown of Het op één na grootste land krimpt in plaats van de welvaart te verhogen.
groot
big
één
one
op
on
het
it
het land
the country
te
to (infinitive marker)
verhogen
to raise
na
after (preposition)
in plaats van
instead of
krimpen
to shrink
de welvaart
the prosperity
Questions & Answers about Het op één na grootste land krimpt in plaats van de welvaart te verhogen.
How exactly does op één na grootste mean 'second largest'?
In Dutch, you do not literally say 'the second largest'. Instead, you use the construction op + number + na + superlative. This translates to 'after [number], the [superlative]'. So op één na grootste means 'after one, the largest', which makes it the second largest. For the third largest, you would say op twee na grootste.
Why does grootste have an -e added to it in this phrase?
Even though it is tucked inside the op ... na construction, grootste is still an adjective describing the noun land. Because land is a neuter (het) word and is preceded by the definite article het, the adjective takes the standard -e ending: het grootste land.
Why is te placed right before verhogen at the end of the sentence?
This happens because of the in plaats van ... te (instead of ... -ing) construction. When using in plaats van with an action, the verb goes to the end of the clause as an infinitive, preceded by te. Any direct objects, such as de welvaart, must be placed before the te + infinitive.
Could I use groeien instead of verhogen to mean 'increasing' here?
Verhogen is used here because it is a transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct object (the country is actively raising de welvaart). Groeien (to grow) is generally intransitive in Dutch. You can say de welvaart groeit (prosperity is growing), but you cannot use groeien to say that you are actively increasing it.
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